First look at Cunard’s newly redesigned Queen Mary 2

What does it take to redesign an icon? If Cunard’s new-look Queen Mary 2 is anything to go by, you’ll need more than one million man hours, 55,200 square metres of luxurious new carpets (the equivalent of 10 football pitches), and over 15,000 litres of paint. Oh, and £90 million. The renovated iconic cruise liner was unveiled today, after a 25-day face lift by designers and stylists from all over the world.

HMS Queen Mary 2 sailed into Southampton Water in the early hours of this morning, flanked by Cunard’s other “fleet royalty” Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, after almost a month dry-docked for refurbishment in Hamburg, Germany.

The redesigned atrium on QM2

The new Britannia Club restaurant

The luxury liner has been remastered with 50 additional stateroom bedrooms, a refurbishment of the Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites and restaurants, and complete transformation of the Kings Court, the ship’s popular buffet area.

Queen Mary 2 in numbers
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While restaurants and public spaces have been given particular attention, the ship’s dog-care service has also been revamped, with 10 new kennels and some quirky new toilet facilities for pooches: a lamp post from Liverpool and a fire hydrant from New York.

In addition to interior updates, Queen Mary 2 is now sporting a complete exterior repaint and “significant technical enhancements” and structural changes.

The update of Cunard’s flagship liner marks the 176th birthday of Cunard, which was voted “Best Large Cruise Line” in the 2015-16 Telegraph Travel awards. Simon Palethorpe, Cunard’s Senior Vice-President, said: “Cunard’s passion for delivering a service and experience that both meets and exceeds guest’s expectations is transforming the way we travel by sea. Remastering Queen Mary 2 honours the heritage and iconic status of our magnificent ship to take our passengers forward into a new era of ocean travel.”

Cunard's three Queens in formation
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After the big unveiling she will set sail to New York, on the route she has plied many times over the last 13 years – a journey that has been enjoyed by the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President George H.W. Bush, film maker Wes Anderson, and actress Tilda Swinton.

Telegraph Travel’s cruise expert Teresa Machan is currently taking a tour of the new-look liner – and her full report will be published this afternoon.